The best way to achieve a successful renovation project is through problem solving. That's according to contenders in the recent 2011 Housing Design Awards. Whether making a front porch more inviting, a kitchen more functional or carving out a better flow in a floor plan, entrants in the three renovation/addition categories, which were defined by price, say knowing how to get maximum results with a limited budget is key.

Amsted Construction Ltd. (amsted.ca) and Chuck Mills Residential Design & Development (cmillsdesign.com) transformed a home's tired '60s exterior into a functional design that allows the homeowner to enjoy a new front porch with a great view of her Highland Avenue neighbourhood.

"She had issues with her home," says Amsted president Steve Barkhouse. "She didn't like the look of it and she wanted to have more use of the front area of her home."

He says planning for the renovation took time to get exactly what the homeowner wanted. Barkhouse - whose project won in the category of $60,000 or less - said his design-build firm created six drawings of the new porch to determine just what the owner wanted. Then he consulted with his counterpart, Chuck Mills, to firm up the final plan, which includes a new deck and the addition of a Colonial-style gable on the existing porch.

Given the budget was under $60,000, Barkhouse says they had to prioritize and decide what would stay and what would go. And in situations where there's a strict budget - there usually is - you sometimes have to try to work around the eyesores, he adds.

"It wasn't particularly nice stone (on the front facade), to be honest. We talked about changing that. And we said, 'You know what, we don't have to. Let's do something a little bit different up at the top, which is less expensive obviously than changing stone.' "

Barkhouse equates this type of renovation to a mini personal makeover, saying it brings out the personality or character without changing it.

Improvements involved removing decorative shutters, adding prefinished wood shakes above the porch to cover the original dated stucco and building custom tapered columns for about $300 each to support the new gable. The columns were painted winter white to refresh the look of the existing stone cladding. The front door received a new insert to better match the new style of the home and a carriage-style garage door was added.

While the changes were small, the overall improvement to the home's curb appeal is substantial.

"It was an ugly duckling and now it's proud to be out in the neighbourhood," says Barkhouse.

Moving up in price, Lagois Drafting & Construction (lagois.com) added a loft and revamped a ground floor in a dated bungalow and then entered it in the $100,000 to $199,999 category.

The renovation included a vaulted front entry with angled transom windows and vaulted portico ceiling and two bedrooms and a bathroom in the loft addition. Walls were removed on the ground floor, creating a functional kitchen and eating/dining area with views and access to the backyard.

Company owner Herb Lagois says that when it comes to giving clients the best value as well as what they're looking for, he offers two options and does a cost comparison. The process, he says, has to be interactive with the client because when it comes to budgets, it's always a challenge.

"It's one thing to create the infrastructure or the structure," he says. "And then it's another thing to deal with finish, selection, and then the materials. I always relate it to buying a car. Once you start looking at all the options, it's amazing what's out there."

He holds what he calls a "trade day" where all relevant trades for a project are brought in to assess issues that might come into play and squeeze the budget. It's meant to avoid cost overruns.

"So if the plumber discovers something, then we can address it up front," says Lagois. "So hopefully as best as possible, we can deal with a lot of unknowns."

"The existing entry was very chopped up.

"And, typical of that age of home, every room was a very small compartment, the kitchen was very, very tiny, and not integrated into the rest of the space. There was no indoor/outdoor integration, so part of the design was to create a more formal, inviting type of entry, and open kitchen/living areas."

He says the client went with a durable granite surface in the kitchen which, while at a higher price point, offers good bang for their buck for the long term.

"It wears well and it's a non-porous type of surface, so from a health perspective, it's great," says Lagois, who worked with pre-made cabinetry, rather than custom, to keep within budget.

OakWood Renovation Experts (oak.ca), which won in the $60,000 to $99,999 category for a project that included a new, open kitchen, the key to avoiding cost overruns is to figure out what a client's must-have items are, leaving some upgrades for down the road.

"They wanted good floor finishings and the cabinet layout was important because it's a small space," general manager Patricia Liptak says of the project that won the company the award.

"They really wanted to make sure that we opened those walls up and gave it that open-concept feel ... so you can do a little bit less expensive (changes) and then upgrade - like getting the cabinets that are more expensive because you can upgrade the finishes later on."

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